Improvement in water-wheels



UNITED STATES PATENT `OEEICE.

JAMES VIIITE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, W. F. HOS- KINS, AND G. H. RUSSEL.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 45,305, (lated November 29, 1864.

1b all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMEs WHITE, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in NVater-Vheels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and complete'description ot the construction and operation o1" the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view. Fig. 2 is a vertical section. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are views that will be referred to in the description.

Like letters ot' reference referl to like parts in the different views.

My improvement relates to the combination and arrangement ot devices for adjusting millstones and for regulating the. power ot' a water-wheel in connection with the use ot' millstones so adjusted.

ln Figs. l and 2, A represents a millstone, supported in the platform C by means ot' a metallic hoop, I), around the stone, which is secured to a iiange or rim, a, that rests on the platform, and on which it can be adjusted. On each side of the fra-me and stone there is a tram-screw, c, by which the stone is trammed or set in the desired position. The upper or running millstone is connected to the shaft or spindle B in the ordinaryv manner. The shaft B extends from the water-wheel through the center ot' the stone A. 4

Eis a lighter screw, passing through the i lever, G, as seen in Figs. 2 and 4.. This lever' i extends through a slotted opening 1n the socket Il, and the end is notched and rests on a cross-piece, d, as represented in Fig. 4.

On the top of the socket H is a rim, H', from which extends down inside of the socket a stein, l1, with a slotted opening, through which the lever passes. In the rim II' is se cured a wooden point, h', on which the lower end ot' the shaft B rests, as shown in Fig. 2, forming a point and step at the lower end of the shaft. This shaft forms a mill-spindle as well as ashaf t for the water-wheel. The socket H is secured at the center of the cross-arms g, the arms being fastened to the under side of the tiange. g'. This ange is supported by the frame-work and extends up, forming a curb, J, around the water-wheel L.

On the top of the curb rests a cap, M, as shown in Fig. 2. This cap is formed with a hub, M', around the shaft B and chutes m, having curved inclined planes on the top, as represented in Fig. l, with gates m', by which the throats of the chutes are opened or closed, turning the water on or ott' from the wheel. The gates are` opened or closed by means of arms n, secured to the gates, curved upward, and connected by rods n' to levers or arms' p, that extend out from acircular piece, p', on the upper part of the hub. When they Iare open, the gates and levers are in the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the wheel, representing its form and construction, having wings l curved diagonally around the hub L', which overlap each other at the ends, and the outer edges, d', are curved upward, forming a slight flange. The wheel is secured to the shaft B, which passes through the center ot' the hub L', and the wings sweep round inside of the curb J, below the cap M. The water as it tiows in through the chutes is impinged on the wings operating the wheel.

Owing to the flange-shaped, t'orm of the wings at the edges, the whole of the impinging force ot' the water is applied directly to the wings, and hence a less part ot' it is spent against the curb, for it' the edges were not curved, but inthe plane of the wings, the water would glance ott from the surface of the win gs more or less onto; the curb butthetlange retains the whole pcrcussivc t'orcc ol' the water on thc surface ot thc wings.

As the wheel moves with a greater velocity at the periphery than at the center, or around the hub, a greater force or volume ot' water should be applied at the periphery, and decrease gradually toward the center. accomplished by means ofthe capacity of the throats or openings Rthrough which the water passes onto the wheel. In Fig. 5, l is a front view ot' the throat, with the gate removed, and P' is a top veiw. It will be observed that the distance from fr to r-, at the periphery of the cap, is greater than from t to t', at the hub, widening the opening R vertically, and in looking down upon it the circu- This is lar inclined planes above and below the throat are inclined outward from the hub, causing the opening R to gradually widen out from the hub to the periphery, as at T, thus increasing the capacity of the opening transversely, as Well as vertically. By this means a gradual increased volume of water impinges on the wheel from the hub to the periphery, by which together with the ange-shaped edges of the wings, the wheel is operated in the most perfeet manner. In addition to the percussion of the water on the Wheel, the superincumbent weight of the water also acts with it, in proportion to the width of the opening T horizonthe same capacity, that the volume ot' Watrr admitted upon the wheel is not in proportion to the velocity with which the wheel travels from the center outward. Y

What 1' claim as my improvement, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of the stone with the hoop b, supported by a rim, a, and the tramscrews c, for the purpose of adjusting the position of the bed-stone with reference to the shaft, substantially as shown and described.

2. The arrangement of the levers p, extending from the circular piece p', the arms n, rods u', and the gates m', which, when moved, causes the openings through which the water passes to the wheel to be larger at the periphery than at the inner portion of said gates, whereby to use'the water with economy and regulate the power to suit the work to be done by the stones, as herein shown and described.

. JAMES WHITE.

W'itnesses:

W. H. BURRIDGE, A. W. MCCLELLAND. 

